Gerard Martin was one of many notable adjustments within the beginning lineup. Within the lead-up to the match, Hansi Flick defined that the choice to go away Alejandro Balde on the bench was a precautionary measure, as he had been feeling a bit overworked.
This opened the door for Martin to make his return to the beginning XI. Nonetheless, his first few moments within the match had been removed from clean.
Simply minutes into the sport, he picked up a yellow card for a powerful deal with, and shortly after, he was concerned in one other controversial problem. A late deal with on Iago Aspas from behind raised issues, because it appeared deserving of a crimson card.
The referee, Soto Grado, selected to not punish the defender, a lot to the frustration of Aspas and the house crowd, who had been vocally upset on the choice.
Celta targetted Gerard Martin
The early yellow card for Martin, simply two minutes into the sport, put him in a troublesome place. Celta Vigo shortly focused his aspect of the pitch, growing the stress on him.
La falta de Gerard Martín por la que el @RCCelta, Aspas y Balaídos pidieron la tarjeta amarilla 🧐
El defensa del Barça ya estaba amonestado de antes #LALIGAenDAZN ⚽ pic.twitter.com/H7F0Sgvg8m
— DAZN España (@DAZN_ES) November 23, 2024
With the cardboard already in his possession, the defender needed to tread rigorously for the remainder of the match. Then, simply earlier than half-time, he made one other controversial deal with on Aspas.
It appeared that this foul may have led to a crimson card, however the referee once more selected to not punish him additional. Aspas was visibly indignant, and the gang’s reactions solely added to the strain within the stadium.
Flick needed to change him
Because the second half approached, the query remained whether or not Flick would make a change, as Gerard had already performed quite a lot of minutes beneath quite a lot of stress.
This season, Martin has been the backup left-back, and regardless of restricted playtime of simply over 200 minutes, he has proven promise.
His most up-to-date begin got here within the Champions League in opposition to Crvena Zvezda, the place he put in a stable efficiency as Barcelona secured a cushty victory.
Regardless of the tense moments within the match, Gerard stays an vital a part of the squad, with hopes that he can proceed to develop and ship when referred to as upon.